Attachment for player pianos



Oct. 28 1.924. 1,513,201

D. WARD ATTACHMENT FOR PLAYER PIANOS Filed Sept. 1 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l f1E l Svwemtoz J. Ward l/Qhtmeoo Oct. 28 1924. 4 1,513,201

D. WARD ATTACHMENT FOR PLAYER PIANOS Filed Sept. 1, 1921 2 Sheets-Shea! 2 awvewtoz ,D. wa d Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DIE-LBERT WAR-D, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F FORTY PER CENT TO JOHN H. WALLACE, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

ATTACHMENT FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

Application filed September T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dminnn'r lVARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Player Pianos; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an attachment for a player piano and one object of the invention is to provide a device which can be installed in connection with a player piano of a conventional construction and which when in place will be operatively connected with the bellows usually operated by the foot pedals and serve to move these bellows. It will thus be seen that with this attachment, the usual foot pedals can be dispensed with and the player piano operated by simply pressing a button to close the circuit of an electric motor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which can be operatively connected with the usual drive shaft of the bellows.

Another object of the invention is to so construct this attachment that it may be mounted in the lower portion of the piano where it will be out of the way and out of view.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the lower portion of a player piano having the improved device installed therein.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

The player piano indicated in general by the numeral 1 is of a conventional construction and is provided with the usual player mechanism including bellows 2. This player mechanism is not shown completely or described in detail since it is only intended to indicate any desired conventional type of player mechanism which includes the bellows 2 ordinarily operated by means of foot pedals which will be removed when it is desired to install this'motor driven mechanism in place of the usual foot pedals and means 1, 1921. Serial No. 497,606.

connecting the foot pedals with the bellows. The motor 3 is to be mounted in the lower portion of the piano casing and supplied with current by suitable conductor wires and also connected with a suitable switch conveniently located upon the keyboard or adjacent the keyboard so that by pressing the button of the switch, the current may be turned on and the motor started. This motor rotates a shaft at which is journalled in bearings 5 and carries a worm 6 for ineslr ing with the teeth of a large gear disk 7. This gear disk 7 is rotatably mounted in a horizontal position by means of a bearing 5 and is provided with upwardly extending pin teeth 9 for engaging the teeth of a pinion or gear 10 upon a shaft 11 and transmitting rotary movement to this shaft 11 when the motor is in operation. This shaft 11 is ournaled in bearings 12 and is provided at its ends with crank extensions 13 with which are connected links 14. These links 14 are connected with the bellows 2 and it will be readily seen that when the shaft 11 is rotating the links 14 will be reciproca-ted and ehus the proper movement given to the belows.

When installing this device, it is simply necessary to remove the usual foot pedals and the connections between the pedals and the bellows and then put the motor in place with its shaft at journalled in the bearing 5 which will be secured to the baseboard of the casing. The gear disk 7 will be put in place with its teeth meshing with the worm 6 and the shaft 11 will then be putin place with its gear 10 engaged by the teeth 9 of the gear 7 and the links let will be connected with the bellows. The necessary switch which may be of any suitable type will be .r

put in place and with the necessary wiring installed, it is only necessary to close the switch thus starting the motor. After the piece has been played the rewinding lever of the usual mechanism can be moved to rewind the ribbon and the switch then opened to shut off the motor. It will thus be seen that this device is so constructed that it can be installed in connection with a player piano having a conventional construction and therefore can be sold either as a part of a piano when first manufactured or can be sold as an attachment and put in place in connection with a piano already in use.

In order to prevent damage by excessive air pressure when playing piece of music, portions of which are fast and portions of which are slow and in order to prevent damage in castthe strip of record, should hang,

there has been provided 'anescape valve 15 for each of the bellows. These valves have the usual safety valve constructions so that they will normally remain closed but may be forced opened when the air pressure in creases beyond a desired amount. It will thus be seen that with this escape valve in place, the motor can run at the same speed at all times and the air pressure willbe prevented from reaching such a point that damage would be done to the player mechanism of the piano.

I claim: 7

1. In combination with a piano including a casing and player mechanism in tl e casing having operating bellows positioned above thebottom of the casing and in spaced relation to each other, a flat gear disk rotatably connected with the bottom of the casing between the bellows and positioned in a hori- V 'Zontalplane and having worm teeth about its periphery and having pin teeth extending from its upper face adjacent its periphy, drive shaft rotatably mounted in bear ings secured to the bottom of the casing, a worm carried by the drive shaft and meshing with the worm teeth of said gear disk bellows when the crank shaft is rotating.

2. In combination with a piano including a casing and player mechanism in the casing 7 having operating bellows positioned above the bottom of the casingand in spaced relation to each other, of bellows operating means comprising a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said casing adjacent the bottom and to the rear of said bellows, a crank shaft rotatably mounted in the casing in the forward portion thereof and adjacent the bottom of the casing, links connecting the crank shaft with the bellows for imparting movement to the bellows when the crank shaft is rotating, gear disk rotatably connected ing horizontally therein with one portion ex tending beneath said crank shaft, a pinion carried by said crank shaft above sald gear 1: L, VCLLS,

teeth extending upwardly from said gear disk, and engaging said pinion for iniparting rotary movement to the crank shaft vhen the gear is rotating, and means for transmitting rotary movement from said drive shaft to said gear disk. 7

in combination with a piano of the upright type including a casing and player mechanismin the casing including bellows positioned in the lower portion of the casing with the bellows positioned in spaced relation to each other and above the bottom of the casing, of bellows operating meanscomprising a' bearing secured to the bottom of the casing between the bellows, a. gear disk rotatably mounted in said bearing, acrank shaft rotatably mounted in the casing and extending between the bellows and beneath he olane of the lower ends of the bellows,

nks connecting thecrank shaft with the bellows for imparting movement to the bellows when the crank shaft is rotating, means in the lower portion of the'casing for imparting rotary movement to said gear disk,

and means fortransmitting .rotarv move-' mentfrom the gear disk to the crank shaft In testimony whereof have hereunto set my hand.

v DELBERT wnnn. 

